


While We Were Constellations

by glassclosetcastiel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Full Moon, M/M, Stargazing, Transfiguration, Werewolf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-28
Updated: 2014-10-28
Packaged: 2018-02-23 01:02:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2528213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glassclosetcastiel/pseuds/glassclosetcastiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is the eve of the full moon, and Sirius wants to give Remus a gift.</p>
            </blockquote>





	While We Were Constellations

It was October, and there was a sighing, weighty peace to the crisp air on the grounds. The boys could feel the bite in their throats as they inhaled the cold and exhaled fog and warmth from their bones. They had been lying there like this, shoulder to shoulder, under the boughs of the twisting willow tree since the light had begun to go silver at the edges, and now only the very edges of things betrayed the hint of a glow. The night was indigo and peach and smelled of damp earth. The moon was nearly full, but only nearly. _Thankfully._

There was enough ambient light left for Remus to steal one last glance at his friend beside him, and thankfully, Sirius allowed him this much without turning, or questioning, or wondering. He simply lay still, head on his curled arm, black lashes dipping lazily as he surveyed the constellations above. Remus watched a nearly-invisible smile curl the corner of his friend's lips, and he turned away. The light was fading fast.

"What's that one there?" Sirius' lilting voice asked. He pointed, and Remus followed his finger. "Is that the big dipper? Or, no…"

"No," Remus agreed, gently, quietly, not wanting to break the quiet stillness. "Pegasus."

"Pegasus. Hmm. Looks like a dipper."

"Mm," Remus agreed. He couldn't keep the smile off of his face. He could feel the temptation to shiver, but he wouldn't. The left side of him was warm enough, pressed against Sirius like this. He focused his attention there, to the soft press of their shoulders and hips.

"Where am I, then?" Sirius asked, as he always did.

Remus traced the line of Orion's belt and found the dog star, bright as anything, hovering just over the horizon above the far hills. He pointed. "There you are. Look how brightly you shine." Out of the corner of his eye, Remus could see his friend's face alight with a grin. _How brightly, indeed._ He didn't turn to look.

The ground at their backs was firm but inviting, and while they lay against one of the deadliest trees in Britain, they felt at ease. It was a monthly ritual, just between the two of them. Something sacred and special that they kept sheltered, wordlessly- an unspoken agreement. James and Peter didn't need to be there. Didn't need to know about their stargazing on the eve of the full moon. Soon, Remus would retire to the shack beyond the tree and the tunnel, safely away from everything he held dear, including this wondrous boy beside him. He holed himself up in the dusty old house to keep this boy safe. It was for the best.

"We should head back," Remus whispered. "They'll start to worry."

"Remus," Sirius began, whispering back, and Remus turned his head to look at his friend in the pale silver moonlight. Sirius never whispered. The fog still rolled from his lips, and Remus saw the shapes of his words as they floated away.

"I have a gift for you," the raven-haired boy continued. He finally turned to meet the pale blue gaze of his friend. Remus saw something in his eyes when they met his own. Apprehension, perhaps. Something else that was very out-of character for those grey eyes, usually glinting with mirth.

"A gift?" Remus repeated. He saw his friend's head tilt, once, _yes._

"Can I give it to you?"

Remus furrowed his brow in thought. "Yes," he breathed. It came out like a question.

Sirius pulled away and came up onto his knees, kneeling beside the pale blonde boy with the curious blue eyes. There was one last, quizzical, searching look, and then Sirius was gone. Or, rather, Sirius the boy was gone. In his place was a large, raven-maned dog. It stayed perfectly still and searched Remus' face, noting the shock and bewilderment. Remus pulled himself up onto his elbows, coming closer to eye-level with the beast. Its eyes were grey and familiar. "Sirius?" Remus choked. His breath had caught in his throat, and he suddenly felt the razor-sharp bite of the cold against his face.

The dog whined and tilted its head in a way that was just _so Sirius_. Remus could take it no longer. "Sirius!" he barked, more forcefully than he'd intended. The willow above them swayed threateningly. In a blink, the curly-haired boy was back, expression the same on his human face. Remus sat all the way up and faced his friend. "What on _Earth,_ " he began, wanting to be angry. Failing. His words came out in clouded sobs. "What have you done?"

Sirius brought his hand up to his friend's cold face and held it there, cupping his cheek, wiping away a near-frozen tear as it fell. "I didn't want you to be alone anymore, Remus," he said. "I didn't want to be alone anymore on these nights, looking out the windows at the full moon and hearing your cries in my sleep. We can take this on, now, together." His voice came in a hush- a soft, comforting lullaby that only made Remus shut his eyes and feel the weight of it more profoundly.

"You've broken the law, you idiot," was all he could think to say. "You know animagi are illegal." But it was a half-hearted argument. Remus' chest felt full and light all at once. He realized Sirius still held his face, and he turned into the warmth of the palm, lingering a bit too long. "You could have died," he whispered still, softer now. Sirius' other hand had come to his left cheek. "It could all have gone wrong. You could have been disfigured."

Sirius tilted his friend's face up, willing him to open his eyes and look. "I'm fine. Really. You think that Sirius Black could do anything wrong?" He smiled, hoping Remus would smile along. "You don't have to feel alone anymore, Remus. I'll always be here." Remus watched as his friend transfigured again, the dog appearing before him once more, and allowed a single lick to his face.

"You're such a fool, Sirius," he said, but his cheeks were rosier than they'd been with only the bite of the cold against them. He reached out and pulled his hand along the dog's skull, back behind its ear and along its back. He completed the circuit several more times and sighed. "Come along, then," he said, getting to his feet. Sirius nudged his side with his face, and Remus turned. "Come back to me, you bright, foolish thing. I want to thank you properly."

Sirius the boy was standing before him again, then, and Remus touched his face. He couldn't bring the words out past the lump in his throat, so he bent to give his friend a kiss, which Sirius accepted, willingly, gratefully.

The stars twinkled their approval.

**Author's Note:**

> For my friend Liz, who cherishes this pairing.


End file.
